The "full and unconditional pardon" is signed by Trump and bears the seal of the Department of Justice, though Trump reportedly did not consult DOJ beforehand. "The President exercised his lawful authority and we respect his decision," Ian Prior, a Justice Department spokesman, told CNN.

Earlier in the evening, the White House announced the pardon in a brief statement.

It read:

Today, President Donald J. Trump granted a Presidential pardon to Joe Arpaio, former Sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona. Arpaio's life and career, which began at the age of 18 when he enlisted in the military after the outbreak of the Korean War, exemplify selfless public service. After serving in the Army, Arpaio became a police officer in Washington, D.C. and Las Vegas, NV and later served as a Special Agent for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), formerly the Bureau of Narcotics. After 25 years of admirable service, Arpaio went on to lead the DEA's branch in Arizona.

In 1992, the problems facing his community pulled Arpaio out of retirement to return to law enforcement. He ran and won a campaign to become Sheriff of Maricopa County. Throughout his time as Sheriff, Arpaio continued his life's work of protecting the public from the scourges of crime and illegal immigration. Sheriff Joe Arpaio is now eighty-five years old, and after more than fifty years of admirable service to our Nation, he is worthy candidate for a Presidential pardon.

After teasing it at a rally in Phoenix on Tuesday, Trump followed through Friday and pardoned Arpaio, who last month was found in criminal contempt of court for not following a different judge's orders to stop traffic patrols that targeted illegal immigrants due to a record of discriminating against Latinos. Arpaio was found in civil contempt of court in May.